Virginia woman cited with gun at Richmond International Airport checkpoint

Citizen Staff Reports 01/25/17

A Chesterfield County woman was cited on state weapons charges after she was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers at the Richmond International Airport checkpoint Jan. 20 when TSA officers detected a .40-caliber handgun loaded with nine bullets, including one in the chamber of the gun.

TSA officers immediately contacted the Richmond International Airport Police, which responded, confiscated the gun and cited the woman, a resident of Chester.

Travelers are responsible for the belongings that they bring to a security checkpoint, and TSA’s advice to people is to look through bags thoroughly before coming to the airport to make sure there are no illegal or prohibited items. TSA outlines the correct way to travel with a firearm on its website: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition.

People who bring firearms to the checkpoint are subject to possible criminal charges from law enforcement and civil penalties from TSA up to $12,000. A typical TSA citation for a first offense is $3,000.

The Transportation Security Administration screens approximately two million passengers and their luggage every day for prohibited items, including weapons and explosives.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88, stopped at Richmond Raceway Aug. 8 in advance of the track’s NASCAR weekend in September. He was joined by five players from the Washington Redskins, who were in town for the team's training camp, which concluded Aug. 14. The day in Richmond gave Earnhardt and the Redskins players an opportunity to see how the athletes compete in their respective sports. > Read more.

The READ Center is a top-200 cause finalist in State Farm’s Neighborhood Assist program, making it eligible to earn a $25,000 grant to support adult literacy in the Richmond region. The 40 organizations from across the nation with the most votes will win grants.

The READ Center, based in Henrico, provides classroom instruction and one-to-one tutoring to adults with very low literacy. > Read more.

The host Glen Allen 14-year-old all-star baseball team won two of its first three games in pool play at the 14-year-old Babe Ruth World Series, which is it hosting at RF&P Stadium in Glen Allen. The team beat the Midwest Plains champions, 9-4, in its first game Aug. 10, then topped the Southwest champions, 7-3, Aug. 11 before dropping a 5-4 result to the Ohio Valley champions. > Read more.

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EngAGE in Henrico County will present “Beat the Deceit: How to Safeguard Yourself Against Scams and Fraud” from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Gayton Library. The Better Business Bureau’s Senior Fraud Program will share how to detect red flags of deceptive business practices and how to avoid becoming a victim of scams, fraud and identity theft. Register by July 27 by calling 501-5065 or emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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